The White God
by nekoka
Summary: It was late autumn when everything came apart for Sakura; Naruto was dead and Sasuke was missing and the snow came too early. Then, a god came to her and laughed: "I am a God, and I can help you change reality." / timetravel au / ch 02. drown in the naka river
1. 01 ashes in a ceramic jar

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

**summary**: It was late autumn when everything came apart for Sakura; Naruto was dead and Sasuke was missing and the snow came too early. Then, a god came to her and laughed: "I am a God, and I can help you change reality." / ch 01. ashes in a ceramic jar

**note1.**: hello. slightly angsty and slow, though that will go away in a few chapters. I think. I hope.

**note2.**: obviously not canon and is set in the future in which I have taken liberty because this is AU and this is a fanfiction!

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The White God

白神

01. ashes in a ceramic jar

It was winter when everything came apart for Sakura.

Sakura leaned her forehead against the cool glass and watched the snow drift by slowly. It was still technically autumn but the snow had come unusually early this year. Sakura hated it. Everything died early. She much preferred the spring that her family was named for. But it was not spring, no matter how she wished it to be so. Konoha's trees had shed their leaves and a thin layer of white covered her village.

Her village.

The words sounded very wrong.

She blew on the glass a little to fog up the window and traced the outline of a fox.

Sakura heard the creak of the office door as someone stepped in. The door clicked shut. A man coughed to indicate his presence. Sakura saw the reflection in the glass—it was Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama. It's starting. You must leave to attend." Kakashi said.

Sakura drew an 'x' over the fox and growled. "I know, sensei. Stop with the formalities. It's annoying."

Kakashi sighed and relaxed marginally at Sakura's familiar temper. "You're Hokage now, you know. You shouldn't be calling me sensei anymore, Sakura. You and Naruto both never seem to get that…"

Sakura snorted and picked up the Hokage's hat that felt much too heavy. "Stupid Naruto." She paused. "And the stupid letter he left me."

"Stupid. Stupid! Stupid! _Stupid!_" Sakura's voice rose as she put on the hat that was too heavy and the robes that didn't fit—the robes that were tailored to fit her surrogate brother. The sleeves were too long, the fabric was heavy and itchy, and the hem dragged on the ground. It was uncomfortable to be in, to move in, and Sakura hated it all.

She had not imagined herself to be Hokage at twenty one.

"Ugh!" Her fist slammed into the desk, but there was no chakra behind the punch and the only thing that broke was her skin.

Sakura was halfway out the door when she looked back at Kakashi. She said rather dryly and bitterly, "C'mon, sensei. I have a eulogy to make and a body to cremate."

The door slammed shut and Kakashi sighed when he noticed the wood of the door splintering at the hinges. He looked at the fading drawing of the fox on the window pane and watched it slowly disappear.

"Ah, Naruto… Why did you have to die?"

There was no response, because the dead do not speak.

Kakashi teleported out of the room in a flurry of leaves and smoke.

.

.

.

Sakura thought she sounded hollow as she droned on about Naruto's life, but the villagers were crying and everyone seemed touched so she supposed she was doing a good job.

The scripted words still felt plastic and cold.

The snow kept falling and the only good things about the robe she wore were that it was very warm and smelled a bit of Naruto. Sakura stood on her podium, gesticulating and pausing at all the right places and the whole village looked to her for support but she never felt more alone in her life. The only thing that kept her company was Naruto's kage robes. And perhaps Kakashi and Sai who stayed very close behind her as her personal guard.

Sakura watched as they placed Naruto's corpse in a pure white coffin and set it ablaze. The fire was so bright and colorful compared to the darkened and naked trees and the white snow.

November ended with Sakura storing Naruto's ashes in a ceramic jar.

.

.

.

The village recovered frighteningly fast, in Sakura's opinion. By the end of December, Naruto's death was generally forgotten by Konoha's citizens as the holidays rolled around. The Rookie Nine plus Sai remained in mourning, but many seemed to try to accept the reality of Naruto's death. Sakura did not—could not. Kakashi was the same. Sai was the same.

Sakura spent Christmas and the New Year putting flowers on her parents' grave and drinking tea with Sai and her Naruto Jar.

In January, Tenten, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, and Ino ended their grieving and returned to a regular schedule. Sakura sent them off on missions as they pleased. Sai stayed in his house and painted a lot. At one point Sakura realized that Kakashi, Tsunade-shishou, and Shizune were doing the paperwork for her. She didn't really care.

The Sand Siblings visited to pay their respects and the Sakura thought she had never seen Gaara look so distressed.

_(Standing over the grave that had no body under it; twisted face, clenched fists, and solemn vows of vengeance. Were those tears?)_

Sakura offered Gaara a cup of tea but he refused.

In February, Shikamaru left his house for the first time in months and visited Kurenai and her child. Hinata left her mother's room with a new kind of quiet determination and started training formally as the heiress. Lee claimed he was starting to 'regain his youth'. Inari came with his grandfather and mother from the Land of Waves and cried.

Rumor had it that Madara and Sasuke were taking over the Stone country. Sakura sent a missive but didn't receive a response. Kiba, Shino, Gai, and Tenten died on a reconnaissance mission by the hand of Madara. They were buried and Sakura read four more eulogies. She wanted to die. But she couldn't, so she drank tea with Lee and her Naruto Jar.

In March, Shikamaru took over his father's old position and Ino began her apprenticeship under Morino-san. Sai came out of his house for once. Hinata was excelling at politics and negotiations and began helping Sakura by taking on diplomatic duties. Relations with other nations were peaceful, but tensions seemed to be rising as they competed for missions and financial income in the times of peace. That, and Naruto was dead—the link was gone.

Madara was still around. He wiped out a troop of Cloud shinobi and one of Sakura's ANBU troops. Sasuke had been spotted once, only to vanish again. To keep busy, Sakura forcefully took back the job of paperwork and officially started rounds of the village as Hokage. Reconstruction was relatively smooth. She renovated some places.

Sakura sent a weary Kakashi on a long vacation to the Land of Spring and told him not to return until summer.

In April, the winds changed.

.

.

.

_April_

There was only the sound of the rain and the feeling of ANBU guards watching her. Sakura tapped the wooden end of her brush on the tabletop angrily. "Okay, you guys are dismissed. I can't concentrate with you guys here."

The ANBU stepped out. The team leader bowed, "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, we must remain here for security reasons and—"

"Tiger. There is no present or impending danger. In the event that there is, I am capable of defending myself. Go." Sakura tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That's an order."

Tiger sighed and seemed to want to protest before acquiescing. "As you wish, Hokage-sama."

Four bodies disappeared in a blur and Sakura stretched to ease her muscles. Silence stretched, and Sakura leaned down to open her drawer to take out the Naruto Jar and the letter.

Her desk was completely cleared except for those two things and a few scrolls and her inkwell.

Sakura looked resentfully at the envelope. She had read the letter only once, but the envelope was worn from her twisting it. She had even rolled it up in a ball once to toss it—the many wrinkles were a testament to that. But the letter was the last thing Naruto had left her, other than a great deal of his belongings. She could not simply throw it out.

It called to her now, though. She thought that perhaps, enough time had passed, and she would not feel so sad. But then again, she would never be not sad.

Sakura reached over to the envelope and pulled out the letter. Carefully, she smoothed out the paper and let her eyes take in Naruto's familiar scrawl.

_Hey Sakura-chan!_

_If you're reading this, then I guess I died. Don't be too mad. And don't take revenge—I always said this, didn't I? Sasuke and I will kill each other. He's probably dead, too. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't keep our promise, and I'm sorry that we left you behind, and I'm sorry for everything. But I love you very, very much, so don't grieve too long, believe it!_

_ There are a few things I need you to do for me. This is my last will, and I write this of sound mind._

_First, I want to be cremated. My ashes need to be put in the white ceramic jar with the red swirl on it. Apparently it's an Uzumaki family heirloom. Shikamaru found it for me on a scouting mission to the Land of Whirlpool._

_Second, as the Sixth Hokage, I officially appoint you as my successor._

_Third, please take care of Konoha. Especially Ichiraku Ramen. Also, please make sure my stone face isn't ugly. They haven't completed it yet, you know. I don't want wrinkles like my dad. Not that his is ugly or anything!_

_Fourth, you can have all my stuff and share it with Kaka-sensei and Iruka-sensei. _

_I don't really know what else._

_I guess this is a pretty shitty way to leave you behind, with nothing but some stationery I stole from your drawer, but there's no time anymore and I swear I'm not being rash. This is the only way everything can end._

_We'll meet again, one day._

_Believe it!_

_Love, Naruto_

Sakura sighed. He had effectively pushed her into a position she never wanted, stopped her from spiraling into a maddening depression, and prevented her from taking revenge—Sasuke had not, in fact, died. He had teamed up with Madara and killed Naruto for his own selfish reasons of cutting away the past. The last Uchihas had not been seen since.

_Teme_, indeed.

And the letter was super brief without any of the heartfelt nostalgic recollections that they usually had in the movies. It was a suicide note, in Sakura's mind, and she hated it. Sakura had followed everything in the letter, except for the grieving. She was still grieving and she didn't think that she would ever stop.

Sakura put the letter down and picked up the Naruto Jar, tracing the red swirl on it.

The most curious thing happened.

As soon as Sakura's finger reached the end of the swirl, the room seemed to get colder.

Sakura stiffened, but no one was there. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, everything happened.

The jar changed. Seals appeared on it and spread rapidly onto her desk in a complex array she had never seen before. The characters came alive and crawled all over her walls, filling everything with red ink. In one instance, it seemed everything was red except for the white jar with Naruto's ashes and herself. Some characters Sakura didn't recognize hung in the air in front of her desk in a hexagon, a symbol per vertex. The words and symbols seemed to glow and suddenly a light filled her room.

The sound of wind filled her ears in a hiss and it howled and howled and _why was the light so bright_?

"What—" Sakura gasped, as she faintly realized that something was being summoned.

Perhaps the ANBU should have remained.

The light disappeared and her office went back to being dark. The wind stopped. For a moment, Sakura thought nothing had happened as her eyes recovered from the brightness of the strange light. The red was gone.

Then, she jolted at the sight of the man in front of her.

He was completely white—shaggy, white hair; pale skin; a clean and crisp white kimono. He was bright in the moonlight. Only his eyes had color, and they were red. He smirked at her reaction.

The rain pittered and pattered on her windows.

"Who are you?" Sakura snapped, still seated. She pushed chakra into her hand, ready to strike.

The man walked lightly and smiled broadly. He was beautiful in an eerie way.

"Answer m—"

"Put away your fist, Haruno Sakura. I shall respond."

Sakura relaxed her hands but remained wary.

The man nodded in approval.

"In human terms, I am nothing and everything, I suppose." The man said. "You are intelligent, Haruno Sakura. I am sure you can figure out what has just transpired." He waved a hand at her desk.

Sakura's eyes widened. The jar! It was gone.

But when? How? Who—

She snarled. "Give it back!"

The man shrugged and laughed. "I never took it."

"But—"

"I do not lie. Do not presume me to be as foolish as a human being."

Sakura glared at the empty space, but her mind was already making logical connections for her. The Uzumaki heirloom, Naruto being an Uzumaki, the Uzumaki clan's proficiency in seals, the reality of ethereal beings, the red swirl and the seals, the man's words.

Sakura gaped as a completely ridiculous idea struck her. Before she could stop herself, Sakura blurted. "Are you the jar?!"

The man stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded, then laughed. "I haven't heard _that_ before! Goodness, no. And they told me you were one of the smarter humans."

Sakura glared in annoyance but the man ignored her.

He raised his arms rather dramatically.

"The earth of the jar and the ashes of the Uzumaki heir provide me a body for this world. The ancient contract with the Uzumaki Clan, the knowledge of Uzumaki Naruto's death, and your grief summons me."

Sakura looked at him, trying not to jump to conclusions.

The man smiled. His arms dropped down. He leaned forward and Sakura froze in her chair.

A whisper tickled Sakura's ear:

"I am a God, and I can help you change reality."

.

.

.

Haruno Sakura. Twenty-one years old. The Seventh Hokage, and perhaps the only person alive to have met a 'God'.

**tbc**

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**note01**: hello! I'm back. I love love love time travel fics. So, I decided to give it a shot, despite the many that are already out there. I realize the writing probably has mistakes; um, I don't have an official beta, but please tell me if there are some really weird plotholes or stuff that I should fix, but please keep in mind that this is AU. Enjoy! Please review~


	2. 02 drown in the naka river

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

**note1.:** This came out much later than I intended. Thank you all to those who reviewed, favorited, and alerted! It was much appreciated.

**note2.:** Some have mentioned this, so I'll say it now: there will probably be no romance.

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The White God

白神

02. drown in the naka river

"How can I trust you?" Sakura murmured. Her eyes narrowed at the whiteness of his robes. It was too clean, the way a fresh coat of paint was. Once the new coat was knocked off, the cracked and yellowed paint was visible under.

"Ah, you are not so stupid, then." The man said. He sat on the edge of the table facing the window and tilted his head to look directly at the moon. "It is understandable that you are wary of me. Your life has not been kind, after all. You are very different from when you were twelve—even from when you were sixteen, eighteen. Perhaps you are wondering this: why would a God help me? What powers does he have? How is this possible? What is the truth in his words? And—the question you have just asked me: How can I trust the White God?"

There was a pause as red irises scanned Sakura quickly for a response. Sakura glared. The man smiled.

"Well, I suppose I shall answer. I help you because of the contract with the Uzumaki Clan that binds me. I am powerful. Gods are very real, just as real as your chakra, which is just as strange. I do not lie. I am a God; the White God. And I do not need you to trust me."

"How do I even know you're really a god? I've never heard of the White God; my family is civilian, too, so we did celebrate festivals. And if you're not a god, then you might lie." Sakura said, looking down at the letter. "And then why should I say yes? And it seems you _want_ me to."

The White God looked at Sakura. His red eyes almost glowed. "I do not need you to trust me."

"Then I w—"

"But, it would be easier if I did this." The deity raised his hand eye level, index finger pointed out at Sakura. A small white flame appeared and he created a straight line down.

The line sprouted more lines and those made more and they all became one cohesive body of white fire. Then in the center, the substance hardened into a smooth and shiny surface. A mirror, Sakura thought. But she did not see herself. Instead, there was a white world.

"This is called _Seirei no Kagami_—Mirror of the Spirits. You are the only human to have seen this and survive."

Curiosity niggled, knocked on the door, and barged into Sakura's home. She was, after all, an intellectual. Momentarily forgetting that she should be wary of the White God, she asked, "What does it do?"

The White God tapped it lightly. A ripple went through the mirror and the flames shuddered.

Sakura gasped, because there was Naruto in the mirror.

"Genjutsu: Release!" Sakura shaped her hands and molded her chakra, but nothing changed and Naruto remained in the mirror.

"He is dead, but his soul is still within this reality." The White God said. "By contract, I cannot let the other gods take him away to use a soul as pure as his. He is the Uzumaki heir, after all.

Sakura's hand moved to touch the mirror and caress Naruto who was walking in the white world. But the mirror was not tangible to her, a human.

Sakura was silent for a moment.

"Why?" She asked quietly. "I don't understand why you would do this for me."

"You wished for this, did you not?" The White God asked. "And I have a contract to fulfill."

"But I'm not even an Uzumaki!" Sakura said, exasperated.

"But you are the strongest bond Uzumaki Naruto has." The White God said. "Besides Uchiha Sasuke, that is. He does not count, for he has no grief. You have the strongest grief, the greatest weariness. That allowed you to activate the seal."

"I don—"

"Do not stall any longer, Haruno Sakura. I can see your hesitation, but this is dragging out too long. Ashes and dirt can only retain me for so long and I do not desire to be sealed again."

Sakura clenched her jaw.

The White God sighed in an annoyed manner. "You are wrought with hesitation and world-weariness. I can see why, for many are dead, you have a job forced upon you, Uchiha Madara is destroying this world, and Uchiha Sasuke is missing. You are bogged down because you are tired of everything, but you also have an obligation to Uzumaki Naruto. So, while it is understandable that you are wary of me and are not sure of what to do, don't all these tell you to seize the chance? To change reality?"

Change reality? What did that mean?

"It means I erase the 'time' that has occurred in this reality. A clean slate, if you will. But you will not be changed."

Sakura shot her head up in surprise, but for the first time in a while something bloomed in her chest. A clean slate. Yes. That was all she needed. There were so many mistakes that she wanted to fix.

She was so tired.

What was there _here_?

Most of her friends were dead, Sasuke was missing, Madara was killing them all slowly, and the snow came too early in autumn. Everyone who remained was depressed, Kakashi was slowly becoming more reclusive and there was not enough happiness in the life she and her friends had led.

There was nothing to lose, if that meant saving Naruto, if that meant getting Sasuke, if that meant shaping a more beautiful life for all of them.

She was the Seventh Hokage, after all. Her duty was to shape the best Konoha possible.

"A clean slate?"

The man smiled at the tone and waved his hand. The building melted and the surroundings formed into the Naka River.

"What?" Sakura got up, startled.

"I transferred our location. I already know your answer, Haruno Sakura." The White God conjured a white umbrella to block the rain. "It is the only acceptable one, and we must go _now_."

Sakura's hair clung to her face as the rain started soaking her. A strange determination gripped Sakura stubbornly, and Sakura vaguely remembered February, when Hinata came out of mourning with a face expression Sakura could feel on her own face. "Yes. I will accept your offer—"

"—and challenge fate." The White God finished. "Very good."

The White God walked over to the raging Naka River and tapped the surface; foam bubbled up and molded itself into a boat. He gently pushed Sakura into it.

The White God looked at Sakura. "This reality cannot continue without Uzumaki Naruto. While the contract binds me, this reason also prompted me to appear before you, Haruno Sakura. It is fortunate that you accepted."

Sakura looked at the God, eyebrows cocked.

"In a few months time, this reality would have been destroyed by Madara."

Sakura reeled at this information and the boat started moving swiftly. "Wait, what?! Tell me!"

The river was too fast, though. The rainfall had turned into a storm and the droplets started to hurt. Sakura desperately looked back at the White God who was smiling again.

"I shall see you again soon in our new reality, Haruno Sakura. You may ask me there."

The white foam bubbled up again from the boat and the water and swallowed her whole, and all Sakura could remember was the feeling of drowning in the Naka River.

.

.

.

Blackness.

But there was the smell of the Fire Country, the sound of a stream, and the warm breeze of mid-June. Sakura opened her eyes slowly and saw the million shades of green in the trees and the strangely beautiful sky.

This was the Konoha of her childhood.

The sunlight was warm again and Sakura laughed for the first time in many months.

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**afternote1:** Well, that was a slow chapter. Sorry, I know some probably wanted Sakura to meet someone but I cut it off there because (1) I couldn't decide how old she would be, though I have now; and (2) there was a gross amount of talking due to my horrible attempt to philosophize and convince Sakura to accept the offer of the White God. She_ is_ Hokage, after all. She's not going to just accept a weirdly positive offer.

I am an evil author who will hoard. I love reviews! I see you all reading this... so, please review!


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